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A New York City priest has asked the the city not to install a bike-sharing location inside a SoHo park because he fears it will "cheapen" those who are memorialized there, according to a report. Jonathan Vigliotti has the story. (Published Friday, July 20, 2012)

A New York City priest has asked the the city not to install a bike-sharing location inside a SoHo park because he fears it will "cheapen" those who are memorialized there, according to a report.

DNAinfo reported that Father Joe Lorenzo, pastor of the Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua, wrote a letter to the city Department of Transporation to ask it to reconsider its plans for a bike-share station in Father Fagan Park, at Prince Street and Sixth Avenue.

"I am sure you know that Father Fagan Park is dedicated to a young Fransciscan priest who gave his life for his fellow priests in a fire at the then-parish rectory at 151 Thompson St,." he wrote, according to the report. The park, he wrote, also includes a memorial to three firefighters.

"We hope that this site not be cheapened or commercialized by placing a bike-rental unit there," he wrote.

A spokesman for the Transportation Department told DNAinfo that the agency is aware of the priest's concerns and is reviewing the plan.

The city's bike-sharing program, which will eventually allow riders to pay a $95 fee to ride the thousands of bicycles at docking stations around the city, was expected to launch this month but has been delayed.

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